Saturday summary: Bella’s Everest triumph and Duke’s Caulfield charge provide a Maher masterclass!

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything and Sportpix

Ciaron Maher’s tough mare Bella wins The Everest

The eighth running of The Everest gave the world a couple of firsts with the first mare to win and the first runners and first win for trainer Ciaron Maher. Somewhat surprisingly, the weighty Maher stable hadn’t had a runner until 2024 but made up for it with three runners on Saturday.

In the end, it was his tough 7-year-old mare Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) who threaded her way through the front runners to dive at the fast-finishing Clayton Douglas-trained Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) and win by 0.13l. Bella Nipotina’s stablemate 3-year-old colt Growing Empire (Zoustar) was the best of the rest, 1l back in third.

“She was right in the zone. So credit to Ciaron Maher, his whole training group around him. He's a phenomenal trainer with so many different arms that help this process go along,” said jockey Craig Williams.

“Paul and Ange Fudge, they're using their property at Bong Bong. You can see the benefits of that. And a 7-year-old mare, she's never been in career best form, which is amazing. She is now. And today she showed everyone how good and tough she is because she had no favours.

“I'm just wrapped and grateful. My team around me, my family, my mum and dad, Uncle Tim and Aunt Julie here, places here, my children cheering at home.”

Williams won The Kosciuszko earlier in the day. “I'm very fortunate. I have been working out really hard with all my coaches and fitness people and my nutritionist, my wife, and my manager said, 'There's no use getting to one hill and that's enough.”

Winner of 10 of her 55 starts, she took her earnings over $18 million, with the newly upgraded G1 The Everest taking her record to four Group 1 wins.

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“You know, we thought she was in career best form, and she got her conditions to suit. We said at the barrier draw, she's got an uncanny knack of running very well from any gate,” said Maher.

“Wide, inside, doesn' t matter. And yes, Craig (Williams), beautiful ride. You know, to have the balls to do that. I can't thank my team enough. She trains up on the beach and she's been at Bong Bong the last two weeks and just the whole team, it's unbelievable.

“She's a bit like me, she doesn't like to miss out on a carnival. She's a beautiful horse to train. And Michael Christensen and Tim Porter and his brothers and family, you know, what a thrill for them. She's been elite for like five years. It's unbelievable.”

Her sire Pride Of Dubai is gaining a reputation for producing tough racehorses who train on thanks to Bella Nipotina, Pride Of Jenni, and Dubai Honour (Ire), who are three of his five Group 1 winners among 23 stakes winners.

Bella Nipotina is the first foal of Bella Orfana (Star Witness), who placed once at Geelong from six starts, and is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and multiple times Group 1-placed Hallowell Belle (Starcraft {NZ}) and Group 3 winner Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom {USA}) who is the dam of Group 3 winner Brereton (Zoustar).

Duke De Sessa gives Maher a G1 double with Caulfield Cup win

Just minutes after Ciaron Maher trained Bella Nipotina to win the G1 The Everest, his team took out another of Saturday’s features with a win in the G1 Caulfield Cup by Harry Coffey ridden 6-year-old gelding Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

In a true stamina contest, Duke De Sessa jumped well and led for the first part of the race before Deny Knowledge (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai) crossed over to take the lead and put on a strong pace with Coffey tucked nicely in behind the leader. At the 600 metre mark, Duke De Sessa began a sustained sprint and cleared out four or five lengths on the rest of the field. Eventually the chasing group wore him down, and he won by 1.25l from Chris Waller trained Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) with Buckaroo’s stablemate Land Legend (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) 6l in arrears in third. Zardozi (Kingman {GB}) ran fourth with Deny Knowledge sticking on for fifth.

“How am I feeling? Spectacular,” Coffey said post-race. “When I let rip, I thought maybe I'd gone too early. But one thing you can count on with Ciaron Maher and this amazing team he has, you can back your horses in. They'll just keep running. And because of Ciaron, his horse's owners, his staff, and more importantly the horse, I've been involved in the day I’ll never forget, on my birthday.

“Me and him just had a little moment along the side here… I actually can't tell you the love and the happiness I have for how well this horse ran today. I just couldn't believe it, that he kept running, that the Caulfield Cup was going to have Harry Coffey's name next to it... it's just phenomenal.

“It's not supposed to happen to people like me. I'm considered a battler. People like to laugh about how I'm a battler and a country boy. But, yeah, not many Caulfield Cups get won by country boys.”

Duke De Sessa took his career record to five wins from 24 starts and earnings over $3.8 million. Winning the G1 Caulfield Cup earns a ballot exemption for the G1 Melbourne Cup, but Duke De Sessa doesn’t hold a nomination for that race so won’t be there on the first Tuesday in November.

“Oh, it's magic to be honest. Yeah, just fantastic to get on the phone with him (Ciaron), especially after Bella. Pride Of Jenni's walking into the yard as well, so we'll hold fort for another 10 minutes. But just pinch me moment sort of stuff. Stable are having an extremely good day. Very good ride by Harry. Everyone' s so thankful for Harry, and really appreciative for him to win. Everyone knows how well-deserved he is. It's just amazing,” said stable representative Jack Turnbull.

“Last season, he was a colt, and he had a good think about it, and he used to over-travel. This race in particular, we changed a bit, so we put a norton on. He obviously had 12 months of seasoning and conditioning, and Ciaron and the team just had a better handle on him. So the form is around him with Via Sistina, and it's just amazing. Just very appreciative and well done to Maurice Regan, Cole McKenna's in the horse. It's amazing, and it's fantastic for the stable.”

A 60,000gns (AU$122,600) yearling purchase at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, Duke De Sessa was a Group 3 winner at two and three in Ireland before his transfer to Australia. This was his first win in Australia, and he was coming off two Group 1 fourth placings in his last two starts.

“I bought him out of Ireland two years ago now,” Will Bourne said of the estimated AU$2 million private purchase, “He was an on-speed tough horse, who we thought would be suited out here. We thought he’d hit the ground better than he did. He went first-up into a Doncaster and we were fairly bullish about him, but it (form) didn’t come.”

“We gelded him after his last run last spring. We ran him in the Sandown Classic and he had a huge lead, looked like he’d win half the straight and then died off. Like Gold Trip, he was very expensive and took a lot of time. But, like Gold Trip, he looks like he’s turned the corner and now feels at home.

“He’s got some of the Gold Trip owners in him and some of the Hitotsu owners, so owners that have had good success and now they’ve got more.”

He becomes the 24th Group 1 winner for his Ballylinch Stud-based sire who has 138 stakes winners in total. Duke De Sessa is the third foal of Dark Crusader (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who won four races from 2200 metres to 2800 metres, and placed in the G3 Cork Give Thanks S. Dark Crusader is a half-sister to staying mare and Listed winner Naughty Or Nice (Ire) (Fastnet Rock), and their dam is an unraced three-quarter sister to G1 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap winner Subtle Power (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}).

Emotional day for Pride ends with King Charles III Stakes win

Trainer Joseph Pride will need his heart checked after Saturday’s Randwick meeting. He won the G3 Angst S. with Lekvarte (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), then his 2023 The Everest winner Think About It (So You Think {NZ}) collapsed during the G3 Sydney S. before getting to his feet and walking off the track.

In the G1 King Charles III S., it looked like being the Ciaron Maher show with his Horse of the Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) taking up the running in her usual fashion for jockey Declan Bates, leaving the rest of the field floundering in her wake. Jockeys have wised up to the tactic however, and she had only a 4l lead at the turn. Even so, Pride Of Jenni stuck on strongly to maintain the gap until the 100-metre mark when Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) got within a length of her and on the outside, Pride’s 4-year-old gelding Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) was flying.

Ceolwulf lunged on the line for jockey Chad Schofield to win by 0.72l with My Oberon in third just behind.

“It's great, you know. Racing has been dominated by some big stables of late. For our stable to compete, a medium-sized stable of less than 50 horses. to compete on the big stage here. Very proud, big team behind the effort here. It was an amazing event,” said Pride.

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“I’ve been confident he's on that path towards being one of the best horses around. After today, he's there. He's on his way, I think he's already a star. We gelded him. I'll probably have some of the owners say, why did you geld him? I think he's a better horse now as a gelding.

“An absolute rollercoaster today. As if last year the same day wasn't enough. You get a little bit numb as a trainer because if you felt every up and down, it'd send you around the bend. But just really grateful to come across a horse like this. The world's his oyster.”

Coming off a last start win the G1 Epsom H., Ceolwulf took his record to four wins from 14 starts with earnings over $4.7 million. Bought by his trainer from Riversley Park at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale of 2-year-olds for NZ$170,000, Ceolwulf is from the last crop of successful sire Tavistock (NZ).

Ceolwulf is out of imported unraced mare Las Brisas (GB) (Shamardal {USA}). He is her only runner to date, and she is a half-sister to Listed winner Nantyglo (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}). Ceolwulf’s third dam, stakes-placed winner Solo De Lune (Ire) (Law Society {USA}), is responsible for Group 1 winner Cerulean Sky (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and G1 Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (GB) (Dalalkhani {Ire}) and two other stakes winners. She is the ancestress of a multitude of stakes winners including Champion Hong Kong Sprinter Wellington (All Too Hard).

And about Think About It, Pride said, “Thankfully he's well. We'll get him home and take good care of him. I doubt we'll ever see him race again. But the main thing is that he's got all four feet on the ground. He looked calm and relaxed when he got back on the float.”

Vinnie’s Estriella returns to form in G2 Millennium Sprint

Ciaron Maher trained 4-year-old mare Estriella (I Am Invincible) looked to be a sprinter on the rise last season at three when she put together three wins in succession in the autumn including the G3 Peter Le Grand S. and Listed Sunlight S. This season, she resumed in the G1 AJ Moir S. running fourth, but was only seventh last start in the G1 Manikato S.

She returned to form on Saturday in the G2 Millennium Sprint, ridden by Ben Melham, Estriella led down the centre of the track and looked to have the race in hand when Jye McNeil lifted Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock trained 5-year-old gelding Rey Magnerio (Magnus) from the clouds to close quickly but Estriella clung on to win by 0.06l. Godolphin’s 5-year-old gelding Spacewalk (Exosphere) was third.

“Yeah, she' s mixed it with the best as we know. She was wide in the Moir and then she did a bit of work in the Manikato and it didn't work out. So, we've reset, come back in trip, did well today. She's carried 59 (kilograms), soft track, it's not her go. It's fantastic for Kevin and Vicky (Payne, owners), Group 2 win now. We can have a look at some major sprints at the end of the carnival,” said stable representative Jack Turnbull.

“We were open to where she would land. She was going to be forward, but I would love to see her follow something and be saved up. She's got a very dynamic turn of foot, but she also possesses a lot of gate speed. So just great to see her get back to some form. She deserves it, she's a very talented horse and I'm sure she'll do well next time.” She will likely go to the G1 Champions Sprint next.

Estriella took her record to five wins from 11 starts with earnings over $1.3 million. One of 109 stakes winners for her Champion Sire, Estriella was $750,000 purchase by her trainer from Arrowfield Stud’s 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft. She is the third foal for Madrigals (Lonhro), a full sister to Champion 2YO in Australia, multiple Group 1 winner and successful sire Pierro, as well as a half-sister to Group 2 winner and G1 Australian Oaks-placed Ambience (Street Cry {USA}).

Estriella’s 3-year-old half-sister Love Poem (Snitzel) placed three times at two in NZ, all in stakes company, and recently won her maiden this season. Love Poem is being set for the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas.

Dramatic Sydney Stakes gives Overpass compensation for missing The Everest field

Bjorn Baker trained 6-year-old gelding Overpass (Vancouver) missed a slot in The Everest but made up for it with a strong 1.48l win in Saturday’s G3 Sydney S. First-up after winning his second The Quokka in Perth in April, the G1 Winterbottom S. winner was ridden by Joshua Parr, who won the G3 Angst S. earlier in the day.

The race was marred by the fall of Joseph Pride trained Think About It (So You Think {NZ}) who miraculously got up and walked off the track. Jockey Jason Collet was uninjured, and stewards later reported that Think About It had bled.

In second place was Think About It’s stablemate Coal Crusher (Turffontein), ridden by Chad Schofield, with Ciaron Maher trained Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) in third ridden by Mark Zahra.

“We were pushing hard to get him in (to The Everest). It's a pretty good consolation. We're very lucky. I thought this race was a Group 1 race in everything but status. It was a stacked field, and he's some sort of horse, this guy,” said Baker.

“Darby Racing has been amazing. This is my horse that keeps punching every autumn, every spring. Without a horse like him, times can get very tough very quickly. So, it's very great for my team. He's done a great job. I thought he was absolutely spot on today. He had a smooth preparation.

With regards to this being his first win at Randwick, Baker said, “You can argue that (but) he's run some mighty races. The race he finished behind Nature Strip - the world's best sprinter, only beaten a length and a half. He's just a superstar. He always puts in. I was tempted to run him a little bit earlier and do that, but it has worked out. It's a great result for the owners. He's just been a marvellous horse. And from all the team back home, they've done a great job.

“We just had him spot on today. I emphasised that everywhere I went. Trainers can handle the truth carelessly from time to time. There's no doubt I was after an Everest slot, and maybe I'm handling the truth too carelessly because the boy who cried wolf is spot on today.

“He may not quite be a champion but he's our champion today. He's made me a better trainer. He's made me understand patience. Josh gets on with him so well. He's got a great preparation ahead. We might look at Melbourne now. He really had to work across them and he was dominant.”

Overpass took his record to nine wins from 27 starts and earnings over $8.8 million. A graduate of the COVID affected Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale (round two) in 2020, Overpass was purchased by Darby Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock from Corumbene Stud for $75,000.

The sole Group 1 winner for Vancouver, who has 11 stakes winners, Overpass is out of winning mare Walkway (Exceed And Excel) who has produced five winners from as many to race and has a yearling full sister to Overpass. This is the family of Horse Of The Year Northerly (Serheed {USA}).

Front Page almost makes it three in Kosciuszko

Sent out as favourite to win his third The Kosciuszko, Matthew Dale trained Front Page (Magnus) led down the straight for jockey James McDonald with David McColm-trained 6-year-old gelding Far Too Easy (All Too Hard) tracking just behind him. Until the 50-metre mark, it looked like Front Page had it in the bag, then Far Too Easy put on a sudden burst to pull clear and win by 2.16l. The rest of the field was led home by third placed Todd Howlett-trained Tanglewood (Smart Missile), who was 3l from the winner.

If the result seems familiar, Far Too Easy ran third to Front Page and Opal Ridge (Rubick) in 2023, and second to Front Page in 2022.

“My dream has come true and not just for us, for this horse, he's been such a special animal to all of us and he deserves his name in the Kosciuszko record books,” said McColm.

“We've been through a lot with this horse, he's had his ups and downs. This year he got very ill and I never ever thought we'd be back for another Kosciuszko tilt. But he's come through the day and he's just, he's done what he does and that is he tries.”

How sick was he? “He was very ill, he was. It was dire for about three days. We decided to not to send him to a hospital but to treat him at home ourselves. My vet put in many, many hours; midnight he would turn up. So the whole ordeal was, you know, it was, it was terrible to be a part of at that time, but he's such a fighter.”

“All credit to Craig (Williams); he jumped on a plane, he flew up from Melbourne, you know, a lot of jockeys don't do that. He took the initiative, he wanted to be a part of it and he wanted to see what he was like in the barriers and it paid dividends today.”

A Listed winner last season, Far Too Easy took his record to nine wins from 22 starts with earnings over $2.3 million. Purchased by Tresbland from Baramul Stud’s 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft for $45,000, Far Too Easy is one of 25 stakes winners for All Too Hard.

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The decision to send unraced mare Mnemonic (Hussonet {USA}) to All Too Hard has upgraded the family with Far Too Easy being a full brother to Champion 4YO In Singapore and Singapore Derby winner Hard Too Think. After Hard Too Think and Far Too Easy’s successes, Mnemonic went back to All Too Hard three times and has a 4-year-old, 2-year-old and yearling by him. She is due to foal to Zoustar this season.

Mnemonic is out of a winning Zabeel (NZ) half-sister to G2 QTC Cup winner Into The Night (Rhythm {USA}) from the family of Group 1 winner Jetball (Marscay).

Double for Pariah

When Pariah moved from Arrowfield Stud to Queensland’s Oaklands Stud in 2023, stud master Neville Stewart dreamed of a day like this.

In Melbourne, Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin trained 4-year-old mare Lady In Pink became Pariah’s fourth stakes winner with a 0.5l win in the G2 Tristarc S. at Caulfield. Ridden by Ben Allen, Lady In Pink won from Ciaron Maher trained Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution) with Danny O’Brien trained Miss Aria (Zoustar) in third.

“I was (thinking she has Group ability). Because she’s got a tremendous amount of talent and we backed off her, stopped, and then I thought we need to get her into the spring,” Troy Corstens said.

“I honestly thought the 1400 (metres) was going to be a little bit too short for her again today but we had her nice and fresh going into it and she’s done a marvellous job. Well, it was good, actually, because she can hit a flat spot sometimes and she did that at Flemington, and then the other two fillies got past her, and she was good to the line, and I kind of thought, I hope we’re doing the right thing, keeping her at 1400 but as it turned out, we did.

“I think we’re going to have a crack at the Empire Rose.”

Lady In Pink was a $160,000 purchase by Malua Racing from Arrowfield Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and took her record to five wins from 18 starts with earnings over $490,000. Her dam, Iron Lace (Encosta De Lago), won five races and placed in the Listed Fernhill Handicap. She has produced three named foals, all winners, with Lady In Pink being her first Group winner. Iron Lace is out of Orderly, a full sister to Group 1 winner Excellerator (Marscay) and a half-sister to G1 NZ Oaks winner Artistic (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}).

In Sydney, Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained Listed Queensland Day S. winner 4-year-old gelding Ostraka came into the Silver Eagle looking to make it four in succession, and he delivered in the $1 million race by 0.56l for jockey Blake Shinn.

The Silver Eagle is marked down to be upgraded to Group 3 but this is yet to be ratified. In second was Peter Snowden trained 4-year-old gelding Xidaki (Zoustar) with Michael Moroney and Glen Thompson trained 4-year-old gelding War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}) in third.

“He relaxed beautifully in front, and full credit to the horse. He's able to do it off-speed. Last start he did it on-speed, so he' s a really progressive horse,” said Archibald. “He keeps stepping up every time. He's really going well.”

On whether the stable would send him to the Golden Eagle, Archibald said, “Possibly a little query over 1500 (metres), but he's won over 1400 before, so I think with the prizemoney on offer, we'll certainly give him that opportunity, I would guess. He's just really going well, heading in the right direction. I couldn't be happier with him.”

Ostraka took his record to five wins from 11 starts with earnings just ticking over $1 million. He was a $150,000 purchase from Arrowfield Stud’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft by Annabel Neasham, B McGuire, and Stallion Match.

Ostraka has an interesting pedigree with his dam Madame Andree being by War Emblem (USA) who had less than 120 foals due to his fickle libido. Unraced Madame Andree is the dam of G3 San Domenico S. winner and young sire Anders, as well as stakes placed winner Battleground (Snitzel) and Group 3 placed Satin Love (Snitzel).